Suppose a customer complains that during a heavy rain; their septic system becomes sluggish. You are asked to pinpoint and mark areas where unwanted rainwater is entering the septic system. By smoking the septic system, one can determine how unwanted inflow is being introduced. The smoke will literally come up through the ground and you would see smoke at the precise locations where water is permeating the soil to infiltrate the system. It is recommended that an instant camera be used to photograph the exiting smoke for later reference.

Do you see smoke directly above the tank? If so, the tank is not watertight and needs repair. Do you see smoke billowing over the leach field or seepage pit? Rainwater or irrigation water will get into the system, then flow back and fill the tank with unwanted water and mud. Perhaps you would see smoke exiting a gutter downspout or area drain, telling you that they are connected to the septic. Maybe you will identify an uncapped cleanout plug at ground level. Testing this system with a typical camera and locator is a long, labor intensive process and is not as thorough or as profitable as smoke testing.

SMOKE TESTING LIMITATIONS

Smoke testing does not have any limitations; at least I haven't found any yet. You are limited only by your imagination. Smoke testing can do two things for you: it can show where a system has lost integrity or it can verify that a system is gas and watertight, eliminating the system as a potential source of problems.

If you don't see any smoke exiting a system during a test that does not mean you failed. The test is still a success. When a smoke test gives negative findings (no leaks) it is a good idea to repeat the test and confirm your conclusions. You have demonstrated that the system is working correctly and the difficulty you want to locate is originating elsewhere.

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